PK0-005 Project Management Concepts Practice Question
Midway through a six-month project, the project manager notices that the team has completed 40 percent of the planned work but has consumed 60 percent of the budget. The sponsor asks for a forecast of the total cost at completion based on current performance. Which earned value metric should the project manager use to answer this question?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is reaching for a variance or index metric when the sponsor specifically asked for a projected total cost at completion, which is estimate at completion.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Estimate at completion (EAC)
Estimate at completion forecasts the total cost of the project upon completion. Given that the team has consumed more budget than work completed, the sponsor needs a revised total, which EAC provides. Cost variance, SPI, and estimate to complete each describe only part of the picture and cannot alone answer a total-cost-at-completion question.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Schedule performance index (SPI)
Why it's wrong here
SPI compares earned value to planned value and indicates schedule efficiency. While it shows the project is behind schedule, it says nothing about the projected final cost, so it does not answer the sponsor's question about total cost at completion.
- ✗
Cost variance (CV)
Why it's wrong here
Cost variance measures the difference between earned value and actual cost at a point in time, showing whether the project is over or under budget so far. It does not project the final total cost, so it cannot answer the sponsor's request for a forecast at completion.
- ✓
Estimate at completion (EAC)
Why this is correct
EAC forecasts the total expected cost of the project when all work is finished. Because the sponsor asked for the projected total cost based on current performance, EAC is the appropriate metric, commonly calculated as budget at completion divided by cost performance index when current variances are expected to persist.
- ✗
Estimate to complete (ETC)
Why it's wrong here
Estimate to complete forecasts the money required to finish the remaining work, not the total cost at completion. The sponsor asked for the full projected cost, so ETC alone is incomplete without adding the actual costs already incurred.
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Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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